Plants and Partings
by iamfreak
Summary: No matter what the flowers stand for, he still has to say it. [Oneshot]


AN: I recently found a list of sentences I printed from some random challenge I found who knows how long ago. The idea was to incorporate the some of the sentences into your piece (or at least that what I think it was, can't really remember). Fluffy half-plot bunnies and hormones (stupid estrogen) got the best of me and here you have the result. Haven't got a clue where the sentence challenge thing was from and don't want to bother figuring it out, so if you happen to know, tell me and I'll give credit to the site and/or person. Not too happy with the ending, so please critique and critisize. (Please!) Set right after the Sasuke retrival mission. Beware multiple one-sided pairings.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters or ideas in the series. That honor belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Plants and Partings**

The day they released him from the hospital, Ero-sennin was waiting for him. He said they would leave right away and officially begin Naruto's training. When Naruto groaned about the lack of warning – apparently he had things to take care of first – Ero-sennin demanded that the brat be grateful he was taking him on as a student at all. Naruto knew how to complain and Jiraiya knew how to ignore said complaints, but when the blond mentioned Sakura-chan Jiraiya's stubborn streak (which had managed to last many, many years) broke long enough to relent. Jiraiya wasn't blind, nor was he a fool and he saw too much of himself in Naruto to not twinge in sympathy at the boy's feelings for his teammate – they hit awfully close to home.

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"_Do you love me?" once he asked her. They were both drunk; Orochimaru had left yesterday, betraying them, the village and everything they had ever fought together for. He already knew her answer. It didn't stop him from hoping, or from the sadistic need to hear the words aloud, if only to know he wasn't imagining it the loss and dashed dreams._

"_No." Her answer was immediate, brutally honest._

"_I love you."_

_Tsunade sighed and downed her cup of sake, realizing she was hurting her teammate, her friend, but she wouldn't lie; she knew unrequited love wouldn't break him, they had plenty of other problems for that._

"_I know."_

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Naruto bounded away, off to find his precious Sakura-chan before he had to leave. He spent the better part of two hours scouring all of Konoha for her. He didn't give up though; he simply couldn't leave without saying goodbye to her. Eventually, he ended up in the Yamanaka's flower shop. Chouji was there, out of the hospital and apparently dragged in to help Ino out.

Unfortunately neither knew forehead girl's location and Naruto began to fret slightly. There was only so long before Ero-sennin got impatient and came to get him, or just plain abandoned him.

Ino, like any good salesman (er, sales_woman_) would, suggested he leave her his message in the form of of a flower. Chouji seemed reluctant about the idea though. Interaction through material items – no matter what they symbolized – seemed too impersonal for the friendly nin. He didn't say much, but he seemed to sympathize with Naruto. Leaving a flower behind couldn't possibly make up for actually seeing her and talking to her face to face.

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"_Shikamaru, do you think I should go on a diet?" Chouji asked, not looking at his best friend but instead gazing across the training grounds at their female teammate._

_He scowled and took his time before responding. "I'm not the type of guy who goes looking for love. But I think that if you want someone to love you, they have to love you as you are or it won't be real. If they love you as someone you're not, then it's not _you_ they fell for. I doubt that would make anyone happy."_

_Chouji frowned, staring at the bag of chips in his hands instead of eating them for once. "I think I know that. But I just… I look at her and my heart breaks. I want to be with her and make her happy so badly. She doesn't want a guy like me though."_

_Shikamaru reached across and grabbed a chip before laying back, his head pillowed in his hands to watch the clouds. "Eh, you never know with pushy women, they always change their minds." It wasn't much, just a small thread of hope for him to hold onto and all that the lethargic boy could offer._

"_Mhm, maybe you're right."_

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Ino was persuasive – in that pushy woman sort of way – and soon was pointing out various flowers that showed all the different levels of friendship known to the female mind – and hormones. Naruto didn't want a symbol of friendship he argued back. He just wanted to say goodbye to Sakura-chan so she wouldn't think he didn't care because he did care, he assured them.

Chouji, in an attempt to please them both, suggested he purchase a small houseplant to remind her of him and he could give it to her when he talked to her. Both seemed happy with that and soon Naruto shuffled out the shop with a small potted pink flowered plant - a dogwood Ino had called it, not that Naruto remembered - and headed to her apartment hoping she had come home for dinner.

She hadn't though – or she refused to answer the door for him, but Naruto didn't really think about that possibility – and so it was all he could do to just leave the plant there and hope Ero-sennin hadn't deserted him for his "research." He had to at least leave a note, he thought searching his pockets for anything to write with or on. Unfortunately, he had neither, so he just banged on the neighbors' doors until someone willing to lend the necessary items appeared.

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_Sakura-chan,_

_I'm off to go train with Ero-sennin so I can get stronger. I couldn't find you _anywhere_ so I have to leave a note. Don't know when I'll be back, but when I am we'll go after Sasuke together. I got you this plant! Chouji said a flower would die too fast and Ino told me what this is supposed to mean, but I can't remember. I thought it looked pretty like you so I got it. I hope you like it._

_The Future Hokage,_

_Uzumaki Naruto_

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Naruto wandered away from her apartment and through the streets, a bit depressed but not yet willing to admit defeat and track down his teacher. But as fate would have it, he bumped into the pink haired girl as he sulked.

"Sakura-chan! I finally found you! I wanted to say goodbye before I leave with Ero-sennin," he proclaimed enthusiastically as soon as he recognized her – which really was no time at all.

"You're leaving?" she asked the barest hint of something akin to loneliness in her voice.

"Yep. I'm going to go train so I can get Sasuke back." He was grinning in that same idiotic way he always had, momentarily oblivious to her feelings.

_Then I'll be all alone,_ she thought,_ the only one of Team 7 to stay here._ She didn't say that. Instead she forced a smile and decided to support Naruto – he was doing it because of a promise to her after all. "That's great. I'm sure you'll get really strong."

Unluckily for Sakura, loneliness and false smiles had been Naruto's right hand man for a long time and he saw through her act. He didn't have a lot of time left but he couldn't leave her like this. "Wanna get some ramen with me? I wanted to go there again." Seeing her hesitation he added, "It doesn't have to be a date – just one last meal as teammates before I leave."

Slowly Sakura nodded, giving in. She didn't want to cook for herself and one meal with the nuisance couldn't be that bad, especially since it wasn't a date.

They walked to Ichiraku in relative peace, Naruto blabbering about how things were going to be – he was going to be really strong, and so was she, and then they'd drag Sasuke back and kick Orochimaru's ass, and then they'd be a team again – and asking her sporadic questions during which he found out about her own apprenticeship to Tsunade. The conversation continued that way into the meal and all in all, it was an enjoyable evening for both of them (both expertlyignoring the pending separation that loomed over them). Naruto insisted on paying and although Sakura protested lightly – it was very much date-type protocol – her purse didn't and Naruto won easily. When Naruto started to walk her home she didn't refuse either. She wasn't quite ready to give up her only remaining teammate just yet.

The walk was silent this time, the inevitability of their parting robbing the air between them of words. In time, Naruto did speak.

"I'll come back soon Sakura-chan, as soon as I can. And I won't forget about you or anything. I promise."

"I know. I just… I don't know what'll happen to us. First Sasuke-kun leaves and now you. I guess I'm just don't want to be stuck here, left behind while you two—"

"I won't leave you like that," he cut her off. "I… I promised you, didn't I? I'll come back and then we'll both go get Sasuke together. And then you won't have to be alone anymore. We'll all be together."

Sakura smiled faintly. "Yes, we will." She trusted his promises and knew underneath it all he would do anything for her. She didn't think too much about why, dreading the reason because her heart belonged to someone else.

It seemed to be enough and they continued walking, silence falling over them once more. The sun hadn't finished setting yet but the moon already was out, glowing against the darkening sky. Both seemed lost in their own thoughts, but when Sakura's apartment came into view, Naruto was jostled from his mind, sensing his last chance to say anything in what he feared would be a very long time.

He spoke looking up at the moon above them. "I love you, Sakura-chan. I love you with every ounce of my being. But I know you never will love me that way. And you know the sad thing about it all? I don't care. As long as you're happy it'll be enough for me. So I promise I'll come back. And I promise I'll bring Sasuke back for you. 'Cause it'll make you smile, right? You're prettiest when you smile."

Sakura started at him, awed at the genuine declaration. His face was still upturned, the soft moonlight and fading sunlight blending together on his face in a way that entranced her. "Naruto…" She hugged him, leaving the startled blond to gape at her as she hid her face against his shoulder. "And I promise to get stronger too so I can help you and stand by you. I won't forget either, okay?" Naruto wrapped his arms around her; grateful for the few moments he could feel her in his arms. Then she laughed, a quiet unsure laugh – not the type that made Naruto smile. "I don't know if I should hit you or kiss you. I care about you Naruto, but…" she trailed off, not willing to voice her love for another right then. She pulled back and stepped out of his reach.

Naruto nodded. "I understand, and it's okay. I love you anyway."

Sakura smiled sadly. "Remember, you promised. Come home as soon as you can, alright?"

"I will," he said the conviction swirling in his eyes and ringing in his voice.

"Goodbye Naruto," she whispered as she turned to walk the rest of the way to her apartment by herself.

"Goodbye Sakura-chan," he called back as he stood there, watching as she walked away and disappeared into the building.

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When Sakura found the plant and the note she smiled, although she didn't know why. The note she tucked away in a drawer with other remains of memories. The plant she nurtured tenderly until it was too big for its container and she was forced to plant it in a friend's small garden where she could care for it and it could grow properly. Eventually, she asked Ino what the pink dogwood flowers symbolized.

"Love," came the reply, "undiminished by forgetfulness. Naruto wouldn't settle on anything other than love. Not for his Sakura-chan."


End file.
